Polk County vineyard already seeing growth ahead of resort

Overmountain Vineyards is located on 75 acres off Sandy Plains Road in eastern Polk County, N.C. A 2-mile segment of the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail runs through the property.

JASON SPENCER/ HALIFAX MEDIA GROUP

By JASON SPENCERHalifax Media Group

Published: Friday, July 18, 2014 at 10:15 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, July 18, 2014 at 9:40 a.m.

A husband and wife team are investing $300,000 to expand their Polk County vineyard and winery operation this year thanks in part to growth already attributed to the nascent Tryon Resort.

“At this time in most people’s lives, you’re trying to wind down debt. We’ve had to take on more, just to keep up,” said 52-year-old Frank Lilly, who owns the Overmountain Vineyards with his wife, Lita. The couple has two daughters who work at the business while also attending college.

“People are pouring into this county. And they’re looking for things to do, to be entertained, places to eat, places to drink,” Frank Lilly said. “We have to adapt and change. And I think it can enrich us.”

Overmountain Vineyards is nestled on 75 acres off Sandy Plains Road; French Bordeaux grapes grow on 16 of them. Chairs are placed intermittently in shaded areas of the A husband and wife team are investing $300,000 to expand their Polk County vineyard and winery operation this year thanks in part to growth already attributed to the nascent Tryon Resort.

“At this time in most people’s lives, you’re trying to wind down debt. We’ve had to take on more, just to keep up,” said 52-year-old Frank Lilly, who owns the Overmountain Vineyards with his wife, Lita. The couple has two daughters who work at the business while also attending college.

“People are pouring into this county. And they’re looking for things to do, to be entertained, places to eat, places to drink,” Frank Lilly said. “We have to adapt and change. And I think it can enrich us.”

Overmountain Vineyards is nestled on 75 acres off Sandy Plains Road; French Bordeaux grapes grow on 16 of them. Chairs are placed intermittently in shaded areas of the business’ picturesque front lawn, and customers are encouraged to bring their own picnics while they enjoy glasses of wine. A 2-mile segment of the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail runs through the property.

The Lillys already have invested $150,000 to expand the barrel room in their winery. Another $150,000 will be spent to bolster infrastructure, including parking, and to boost their wine to a worldclass level, Frank Lilly said. The top-dollar bottle at Overmountain currently costs $37. The Lillys want to make and sell $75 bottles of premium wine.

“I hate concrete. I hate asphalt. But we had to pave the (driveway) so horse trailers, Maseratis and Corvettes could get back here,” he said.

Lilly said his business has doubled month over month since the spring; the barrel room expansion took place before the family realized what the implications of the resort would be, he said.

In June, entrepreneur Mark Bellissimo unveiled Tryon Resort, off Pea Ridge Road at Highway 74 in eastern Polk County, and broke ground on a hotel. When complete, the massive 1,400-acre retreat will also include a luxury spa and resort, a log cabin village, and an Arnold Palmer- designed golf course.

The Tryon International Equestrian Center, which will include multiple arenas and 1,000 permanent stalls, will officially open at the site in September. But the Tryon Riding & Hunt Club is already hosting the center’s inaugural horse shows.

“These horse shows are the biggest shows we’ve ever been able to have in Tryon,” said Jen Hicks, the club’s show secretary. Heading in to the final weekend of the Tryon Summer Series, Hicks estimated between 250 and 350 horses have been on the grounds each week. Each Sunday, the Grand Prix has drawn an estimated 2,000 spectators, she said. The purse for the first two Sunday grand prix was $50,000 each. This Sunday, that grows to $75,000, which is divided among the top horse and rider combinations.

Overmountain Vineyards is adjacent to the resort property where the equestrian center is located.

“On Friday, my wife and daughter poured wine for 400 people. I can’t say I was ever set up for that,” Frank Lilly said. He said Overmountain did 76 tastings on Sunday and already has been asked about hosting another private tasting this weekend for 500 to 600 people.

“This is not the 1-percenters. This is the halfpercenters. These are not millionaires. These are on the Forbes list,” he said. “This place is going to be like Pinehurst and Augusta. They’re going to want to come in and rent your whole house for $10,000 and you leave.”

Last week, Lilly said he participated in a two-hour conference call with other vineyard owners and winemakers in the area to talk about the potential growth they could see from Tryon Resort once it’s fully realized.

This week was the first time Lilly opened his vineyard on a Monday.

Aside from the tasting room, Overmountain’s wine is sold at La Bouteille in Tryon and Stone Soup in Landrum, S.C. Overmountain Vineyards sells about 60 percent of its grapes to the Biltmore Estate.

Lilly said the recent increase in business has eaten into his supply ahead of the Asheville Wine & Food Festival in late August.

“We thought we could stay small for at least 15 years. It lasted two,” Lilly said of the wine-tasting aspect of the business. “That’s our challenge: to stay small. It’s a good problem, but it’s scary. Because we’re going to have to hire people, which is good for the economy, but we lose that connection to the customer.”

Bellissimo recently participated in a public forum that filled the 175-seat Polk County commissioners meeting room to capacity and then some, interim County Manager Marche Pittman said.

The entrepreneur has forecast Tryon Resort’s economic impact to be concentrated in a 20- to 30-mile radius, Pittman said. “That’s pretty much dead on,” he said.

“I think people are starting to realize how big of an impact that’s going to have on our community,” he said.

<p>A husband and wife team are investing $300,000 to expand their Polk County vineyard and winery operation this year thanks in part to growth already attributed to the nascent Tryon Resort.</p><p>“At this time in most people's lives, you're trying to wind down debt. We've had to take on more, just to keep up,” said 52-year-old Frank Lilly, who owns the Overmountain Vineyards with his wife, Lita. The couple has two daughters who work at the business while also attending college.</p><p>“People are pouring into this county. And they're looking for things to do, to be entertained, places to eat, places to drink,” Frank Lilly said. “We have to adapt and change. And I think it can enrich us.”</p><p>Overmountain Vineyards is nestled on 75 acres off Sandy Plains Road; French Bordeaux grapes grow on 16 of them. Chairs are placed intermittently in shaded areas of the A husband and wife team are investing $300,000 to expand their Polk County vineyard and winery operation this year thanks in part to growth already attributed to the nascent Tryon Resort.</p><p>“At this time in most people's lives, you're trying to wind down debt. We've had to take on more, just to keep up,” said 52-year-old Frank Lilly, who owns the Overmountain Vineyards with his wife, Lita. The couple has two daughters who work at the business while also attending college.</p><p>“People are pouring into this county. And they're looking for things to do, to be entertained, places to eat, places to drink,” Frank Lilly said. “We have to adapt and change. And I think it can enrich us.”</p><p>Overmountain Vineyards is nestled on 75 acres off Sandy Plains Road; French Bordeaux grapes grow on 16 of them. Chairs are placed intermittently in shaded areas of the business' picturesque front lawn, and customers are encouraged to bring their own picnics while they enjoy glasses of wine. A 2-mile segment of the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail runs through the property. </p><p>The Lillys already have invested $150,000 to expand the barrel room in their winery. Another $150,000 will be spent to bolster infrastructure, including parking, and to boost their wine to a worldclass level, Frank Lilly said. The top-dollar bottle at Overmountain currently costs $37. The Lillys want to make and sell $75 bottles of premium wine. </p><p>“I hate concrete. I hate asphalt. But we had to pave the (driveway) so horse trailers, Maseratis and Corvettes could get back here,” he said. </p><p>Lilly said his business has doubled month over month since the spring; the barrel room expansion took place before the family realized what the implications of the resort would be, he said. </p><p>In June, entrepreneur Mark Bellissimo unveiled Tryon Resort, off Pea Ridge Road at Highway 74 in eastern Polk County, and broke ground on a hotel. When complete, the massive 1,400-acre retreat will also include a luxury spa and resort, a log cabin village, and an Arnold Palmer- designed golf course. </p><p>The Tryon International Equestrian Center, which will include multiple arenas and 1,000 permanent stalls, will officially open at the site in September. But the Tryon Riding & Hunt Club is already hosting the center's inaugural horse shows. </p><p>“These horse shows are the biggest shows we've ever been able to have in Tryon,” said Jen Hicks, the club's show secretary. Heading in to the final weekend of the Tryon Summer Series, Hicks estimated between 250 and 350 horses have been on the grounds each week. Each Sunday, the Grand Prix has drawn an estimated 2,000 spectators, she said. The purse for the first two Sunday grand prix was $50,000 each. This Sunday, that grows to $75,000, which is divided among the top horse and rider combinations. </p><p>Overmountain Vineyards is adjacent to the resort property where the equestrian center is located. </p><p>“On Friday, my wife and daughter poured wine for 400 people. I can't say I was ever set up for that,” Frank Lilly said. He said Overmountain did 76 tastings on Sunday and already has been asked about hosting another private tasting this weekend for 500 to 600 people. </p><p>“This is not the 1-percenters. This is the halfpercenters. These are not millionaires. These are on the Forbes list,” he said. “This place is going to be like Pinehurst and Augusta. They're going to want to come in and rent your whole house for $10,000 and you leave.” </p><p>Last week, Lilly said he participated in a two-hour conference call with other vineyard owners and winemakers in the area to talk about the potential growth they could see from Tryon Resort once it's fully realized. </p><p>This week was the first time Lilly opened his vineyard on a Monday. </p><p>Aside from the tasting room, Overmountain's wine is sold at La Bouteille in Tryon and Stone Soup in Landrum, S.C. Overmountain Vineyards sells about 60 percent of its grapes to the Biltmore Estate. </p><p>Lilly said the recent increase in business has eaten into his supply ahead of the Asheville Wine & Food Festival in late August. </p><p>“We thought we could stay small for at least 15 years. It lasted two,” Lilly said of the wine-tasting aspect of the business. “That's our challenge: to stay small. It's a good problem, but it's scary. Because we're going to have to hire people, which is good for the economy, but we lose that connection to the customer.” </p><p>Bellissimo recently participated in a public forum that filled the 175-seat Polk County commissioners meeting room to capacity and then some, interim County Manager Marche Pittman said. </p><p>The entrepreneur has forecast Tryon Resort's economic impact to be concentrated in a 20- to 30-mile radius, Pittman said. “That's pretty much dead on,” he said. </p><p>“I think people are starting to realize how big of an impact that's going to have on our community,” he said.</p>